Royal Ascot 2020 highlights: Stradivarius and Frankie Dettori make history in racing restart

royal ascot 2020 live
(Image credit: Edward Whitaker/Pool via Getty Images)

Latest update: Royal Ascot 2020 live coverage has now concluded. Original article and viewing guide follows below.

The first ever Royal Ascot held without spectators has been one of the highlights of a week in which live sport returned to the UK, just in time for summer. No, there won't be the Olympics or the Euros or even Wimbledon - but football's back and racing fans can't really complain, having witnessed Stradivarius seal a third-straight Gold Cup win to write its name in the history books. The action's not over yet, though, so read on as our guide explains how to watch an Ascot live stream in 2020 and follow every day 5 race online or on TV.

Watch a free Ascot live stream today

In the UK, ITV offers free TV and streaming coverage of Royal Ascot day 5 from 12.50.5.05pm BST. Head to ITV Hub to watch an Ascot live stream - while Brits abroad can get 3-months of our favourite VPN free to access their home coverage from anywhere in the world.

Saturday is day 5 at Royal Ascot and it rounds out the prestigious event in style, featuring three back-to-back Group 1 races with prize pots of £250,000 each - the Coronation Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes and Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

You can check out the full Royal Ascot day 5 schedule and card below, but it's safe to say today's races should provide us with plenty of excitement, judging by the Ascot results so far. 

Friday's highlights saw the relentless Frankie Dettori dovetail his historic Stradivarius ride with a 70th career Ascot win as a jockey - on the 30th anniversary of his first victory, no less. It came aboard Fanny Logan, a relative  outsider at 17-2, in the Hardwicke Stakes - underlining why he's widely considered the best jockey in the world.

Don't miss another second of the action - follow our guide as we explain how to get a Royal Ascot live stream this Saturday and watch every day 5 race from anywhere in the world.

royal ascot live stream

Royal Ascot live stream: how to watch every day 5 race in the UK for FREE

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The best option for most people wanting to watch this year's Royal Ascot action simply to head to ITV. The UK terrestrial channel can be watched on TV, of course, but if traditional means aren't necessarily your things you can also stream all of its channels online  via the ITV Hub platform.

It's completely free to watch in the UK, provided you've got a valid TV license, and Royal Ascot 2020 TV coverage runs from 12.50-5.05pm on day 5 (Saturday).

Any British horse racing fans who find themselves abroad craving a bit of Royal Ascot action can tune back into their home coverage by saving nearly 50% on our favourite VPN and using it to digitally relocate back to Blighty - here's how that works.

How to watch Royal Ascot from outside the country 

British horse racing fans wanting to watch Royal Ascot today may find they run into trouble if they're abroad, as geo-blocking restrictions are likely to prevent access to UK-based streaming platforms from other countries.

Fortunately, there's a solution in the form of a VPN - a nifty piece of software that helps you get around digital borders and regain access to the services you normally use and pay for at home. But which one is right for you?

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We've tested all of the major VPN services and we rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best. It's compatible with loads of devices including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire Stick, PlayStation, Apple TV and such, and we found it secure, speedy and simple-to-use. 

Those are just some of the reasons it's the best all-round Virtual Private Network for streaming events like Royal Ascot 2020 and the Gold Cup live from abroad. Another is the fact that it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee and 3-months FREE, so you can see if it's right for you with no strings attached.

Once you've registered and downloaded the software, just follow the prompts to install it then select the location you want to relocate your IP address to - it really is that easy - so grab your free ExpressVPN trial today.


Royal Ascot 2020: day 5 schedule and race times

All times BST

  • 12.40pm - Silver Wokingham Handicap (6f)
  • 1.15pm - Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2, 5f)
  • 1.50pm - Coventry Stakes (Group 2, 6f)
  • 2.25pm - Coronation Stakes (Group 1, 1m)
  • 3.00pm - St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1, 1m)
  • 3.35pm - Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Group 1, 6f)
  • 4.10pm - Wokingham Handicap (6f)
  • 4.40pm - Queen Alexandra Stakes (2m5f)

James Laird

James is a technology journalist with nearly 10 years experience and currently Sports and TV Streaming Editor at Future, where he works across TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide. He is here to help you find the best ways to watch sports, TV shows and movies online. Previously, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, Editor of Lifehacker UK, and Senior Staff Writer at ITProPortal.